News, opinions, commentary, history and a little creative writing from a proud African-American transwoman about the world around her.

Monday, May 12, 2014

Naw Mark, Shame On Your Clueless Racism Denying Azz

I wasn't even back in Harris County 24 hours from my empowering BTAC 2014 convention birthday weekend excursion to Dallas last week when I was alerted to an attack piece that 'I'm white not Latino' transman Mark Angelo Cummings aimed at me along with a bigoted tweet from Kelli Busey on my birthday of all days.

I've already put Kelli on blast on my FB page for her jacked up shyt. It's Mark's turn to feel the wrath of Moni now that I've had a few days to marinate on his loud and wrong as usual bigoted screed.

Too bad you dismissed Kat Blacque instead of listening to her when she was trying to educate your ignorant behind on the fact that race matters, even in the trans community.

As a matter of fact I find you borderline delusional for trying to claim that racism doesn't exist. I'm also laughing my butt off at you for even trying to utter the BS 'reverse racism' conservacrap. Dude, have several sections of seats in Marlins Park and a nice tall glass of shut the hell up with your Cuban sandwich on that one.

Since you missed it and seem to be confused about what racism really entails, let Moni try to 'ejumacate' you once again on the topic even though I'm tired of having this discussion of these simple to grasp concepts with you and your dwindling cadre of like minded acolytes that even the GEICO cavemen understand.

Racism is the systematic discrimination, denial of rights and benefits by whites against non-whites in all areas of human activity. (economics, education, labor, law, politics, religion, sex and war).

Since non-whites (at least until 2040) are not the majority population in the United States, it is impossible for us to be racist. We can be bigoted and prejudiced, but we do not have the collective societal power to turn our bigotry and prejudices into societal policy detrimental to the lives of white people. .

Once again I ask the question I haven't got an answer to from Mark and his like minded side yet.

What is it about Black trans people owning our power and simply doing the same thing that white trans people have done for decades in terms of building community amongst themselves and determining our own political destiny, that terrifies you so much?

As I've said since 1998 and will not back down one millimeter from nor apologize for, race matters in the trans community.

It's also why I advocate for transpeople of color to have our own blogs, advocacy groups and supportive community infrastructure because we can never be certain of when vanillacentric privileged white trans peeps like you will throw us under the bus to get your lost levels of white privilege back.

And yes, there is ample precedent of the white trans community doing precisely that. Riki Wilchins sold out the community and backlobbied her own GenderPac Lobby days in 1998-1999 to curry favor with an HRC then hostile to trans human rights issues. She then took GenderPac out of the trans rights lobbying fight at the federal level to embark a a failed 'gender rights' approach that led to the 1999 formation of the multicultural NTAC to fill the unexpected trans advocacy void.

Because NTAC was led by nonwhite executive directors who weren't drinking the 'HRC is our Friends' blue Kool-Aid and had no problem calling out the Equal Sign Org on their transphobic BS, it was savagely attacked by white trans people claiming NTAC 'didn't represent them' to the point they formed NCTE in 2003.

That sorry history is one of the reasons why we are closing ranks and building community in African-American trans spaces now because we are tired of being ignored, dismissed and treated like an emasculated junior partner in mixed trans company.

We are unapologetically Black trans grown folks determining our political destiny, building community and making informed decisions about who we will and will not ally ourselves with. Can you hear us now?

So yes, white trans people's past penchant for throwing transpeople of color under the bus, ignoring our issues and concerns, and failing to include us in the senior leadership ranks is why I and other trans African-Americans are in the 2K10's executing a multipronged advocacy strategy whether you like it or not.
And yeah, our people have been doing this for over two centuries, so this is nothing new or shocking to African descended trans people.

And as long as TransGriot exists, I'm going to articulate those concerns of African descended transpeople here in the United States and across the African Diaspora.

Mark, since you and your like minded friends have not given us a reason to confidently feel you have our backs or our best interests in mind in national trans advocacy since the late 90's, we're going to be unapologetically pro-Black, seek out allies of all ethnic backgrounds, and build up our community while simultaneously advocating for trans rights for ourselves and the human rights of all.

As the HERO battle is making clear to us in Houston, we have trans issues education to do with our own people, and we African-American trans people are the folks best positioned to do that as we take leading roles in helping push its passage.

I and other African-American trans people are puzzled to hear that our long overdue communal need to close ranks, build unity and pride in being Black trans people in conjunction with our Black trans masculine brothers, build community so that we can be a stronger partner to the entire TBLG community and all the ones we interact with is considered 'a threat' or 'dangerous' to white trans people.

Seriously? We in Black Trans World are only replicating what the white trans community has done since the late 80's. Why is it 'a problem' or 'a threat' now?

Because you white trans peeps are already well represented at those leadership tables, and far too many times I may be the only trans POC sitting there, you damned skippy I'm going to make sure the needs of POC transpeople are in the conversation. I'm also going to be determined in making you aware how we POC's view any proposed trans human rights legislation or how any policy initiative being discussed impacts us.

The racism and bigot eruptions in the trans community along with the racist misogyny aimed at trans women of color have also fueled this push for us to own our power just like our parents, grandparents and great grandparents have had to do once upon a time.

As some of you have made crystal clear with your hate pieces and bigoted tweets aimed in mine and the direction of other trans leaders of color, it is impossible for us to exist in Trans World separated from our race and ethnic background.

Neither do I nor any transperson of color wish to operate in any space that demands we separate ourselves from our Blackness just to be a part of a collective group or because us being our unapologetically Black selves makes you white trans peeps uncomfortable.

We Black trans people can't be 'just trans' because of the deep seated hatred for blackness and Black people that also infects Trans World and you are exhibiting unmistakable signs of. We are deeply aware of the fact we trans people of color are judged by our skin color first before we can even begin to tackle the trans issues that impact us.

If you don't like the fact I'm unapologetically Black, and I will not allow you or ANY fauxgressive and bigoted trans person or 'ally' to deter me from calling out the bigotry and racism that exists in trans world while seeking to expeditiously root it out of our ranks, then you (and errbody else) that shares your delusional opinion that racism doesn't exist or 'I'm angry' for daring to talk about it can kiss my 'angry' Black trans ass.

By the way Marky Mark. You and your white trans friends boringly repetitive attempts to tear me down not only reveal your own racist ignorance, but validate what I've been saying and writing about for the last decade and a half concerning your sector of the trans community.

With every bigoted keystroke you aim at me, you make yourself more irrelevant. When they see these unwarranted and vicious attacks leveled at me, it also pisses off people in the trans communities of color and our allies who have mad love and respect for me and what I do human rights wise inside and outside the trans community.

And FYI, for every attack you level at me, to quote Maya Angelou, and still I rise.

So no Mark, shame on you for being bigoted and foolish enough to continue to repeatedly do something so monumentally stupid, and being arrogant enough to think you can get away with doing so without me calling your azz out on it.

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About The TransGriot

Monica Roberts, AKA the TransGriot (Gree-oh) is a native Houstonian, GLAAD award nominated blogger, writer, and award winning trans human rights advocate. She's the founding editor of TransGriot, and her writing has appeared at the Bilerico Project, Ebony.com, The Huffington Post and the Advocate.
She works to foster understanding and acceptance of trans people inside and outside communities of color and was recently honored with the Virginia Prince Transgender Pioneer Award

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The TransGriot blog's mission is to become the griot of our community. I will introduce you to and talk about your African descended trans brothers and trans sisters across the Diaspora, reclaim and document our chocolate flavored trans history, speak truth to power, comment on the things that impact our trans community from an Afrocentric perspective and enlighten you about the general things that go on around me and in the communities that I am a member of.

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